The municipal committee of the CPC and the municipal government announced Thursday a plan to speed up the urbanization of Bao'an and Longgang districts.

Villagers in the only two districts outside the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone would became urban residents and enjoy relevant treatment, the Shenzhen Evening News reported.

Huang Liman, secretary of the CPC committee, and Acting Mayor Li Hongzhong attended a mobilization meeting to propose a series of reforms.

Experiments will be completed by March, 2004 before the overall urbanization is carried out. The reforms will be basically finished by the end of 2004.

The organizational system of townships will come to an end. Sub-district offices, which are very few outside the special economic zone, will be established in both districts, while villages will be changed to neighborhood committees.

The family planning policy in both districts -- usually not as rigorous as the one-child policy in urban areas -- will remain the same for the next four years.

The former villagers in eligible age groups will be entitled to the city's endowment and medical insurances and safeguards. They will be able to more easily find jobs in the city.

(Shenzhen Daily October 31, 2003)